Toilet seat cover

ABSTRACT

Aspects of the invention are directed to a toilet seat cover for use with a toilet having a toilet seat, the toilet seat defining an upper surface, a lower surface, and a toilet seat opening. The toilet seat cover comprises an upper layer, a lower layer, and a loop. The upper layer defines an upper opening therein. Moreover, the lower layer defines a lower opening therein and is coupled to the upper layer such that the upper layer and the lower layer define a pocket therebetween. The loop spans between the upper layer and the lower layer. The pocket is adapted to receive the toilet seat such that the upper layer overlies at least a portion of the upper surface and the lower layer underlies at least a portion of the lower surface while the upper opening and the lower opening align with the toilet seat opening.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to sanitary equipment, and, moreparticularly, to seat covers for toilets.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The use of public toilets may be an unpleasant and possibly hazardousexperience because of the unhygienic conditions often associated withthese facilities. Public restrooms may harbor streptococcus,staphylococcus, E. coli and shigella bacteria, hepatitis A virus, thecommon cold virus, and various sexually transmitted organisms. Toiletseats are of particular concern. For that reason, disposable toilet seatcovers capable of reducing a user's exposure to these threats are ofgreat interest.

Designs for toilet seat covers directed at mitigating the risksassociated with toilet seats can be found in, for example: U.S. Pat. No.5,437,906; U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2003/0208826 and2006/0288470; International Patent Application Publication No.WO2006123003; French Patent No. 1,108,590; and UK Patent Application No.2497567. However, each of these designs suffers from one or more of thefollowing disadvantages: poor protection for the user; the need to touchthe toilet when mounting and dismounting the cover; and overly complexand expensive designs.

For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for toilet seat cover designsthat address these several deficiencies.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention address the above-identified needsby providing a disposable toilet seat cover that: 1) provides excellentprotection for the user; 2) may be installed on a toilet without theuser coming into direct contact with the toilet; 3) is relatively simpleand inexpensive to manufacture; and 4) may be compactly packaged fortransport and storage.

Aspects of the invention are directed to a toilet seat cover for usewith a toilet having a toilet seat, the toilet seat defining an uppersurface, a lower surface, and a toilet seat opening. The toilet seatcover comprises an upper layer, a lower layer, and a loop. The upperlayer defines an upper opening therein. Moreover, the lower layerdefines a lower opening therein and is coupled to the upper layer suchthat the upper layer and the lower layer define a pocket therebetween.The loop spans between the upper layer and the lower layer. The pocketis adapted to receive the toilet seat such that the upper layer overliesat least a portion of the upper surface and the lower layer underlies atleast a portion of the lower surface while the upper opening and thelower opening align with the toilet seat opening.

Additional aspects of the invention are directed to an apparatuscomprising a toilet and a toilet seat cover. The toilet comprises atoilet bowl and a toilet seat. The toilet seat is positioned atop thetoilet bowl and defines an upper surface, a lower surface, and a toiletseat opening. The toilet seat cover, on the other hand, comprises anupper layer, a lower layer, and a loop. The upper layer defines an upperopening therein. In addition, the lower layer defines a lower openingtherein and is coupled to the upper layer such that the upper layer andthe lower layer define a pocket therebetween. The pocket receives thetoilet seat such that the upper layer overlies at least a portion of theupper surface and the lower layer underlies at least a portion of thelower surface while the upper opening and the lower opening align withthe toilet seat opening.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the presentinvention will become better understood with regard to the followingdescription, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:

FIG. 1 shows a side perspective view of a toilet seat cover inaccordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention while thetoilet seat cover is in use on a toilet;

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the FIG. 1 toilet seat cover;

FIG. 3 shows an exploded perspective view of the FIG. 1 toilet seatcover;

FIG. 4 shows a sectional view of a portion of the FIG. 1 toilet seatcover with the flap attached in a first illustrative manner;

FIG. 5 shows a sectional view of a portion of the FIG. 1 toilet seatcover with the flap attached in a second illustrative manner;

FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of the FIG. 1 toilet seat cover whilepartially installed on a toilet;

FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of the FIG. 1 toilet seat cover whilefully installed on a toilet; and

FIG. 8 shows a sectional view of the FIG. 7 toilet seat cover andtoilet.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention will be described with reference to illustrativeembodiments. For this reason, numerous modifications can be made tothese embodiments and the results will still come within the scope ofthe invention. No limitations with respect to the specific embodimentsdescribed herein are intended or should be inferred.

FIG. 1 shows a side perspective view of a toilet seat cover 100 inaccordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention. In thisview, the toilet seat cover 100 is being used by a user 200 to preventdirect contact between the user 200 and a toilet 300. Such a use mayoccur when, for example, the user 200 is using a toilet 300 in a publicrestroom.

Aspects of the toilet seat cover 100 are more easily visible in FIGS. 2and 3, which show intact and exploded perspective views, respectively,of the toilet seat cover 100 while the toilet seat cover 100 isexpanded, but not presently installed on a toilet. The toilet seat cover100 may be conceptually separated into several constituent elements: anupper layer 105, a lower layer 110, a flap 115, a first loop 120, asecond loop 125, and a collar 130. The upper layer 105 defines an upperopening 135 therein. Likewise, the lower layer 110 defines a loweropening 140 therein.

In accordance with aspects of the invention, the lower layer 110 iscoupled to the upper layer 105 such that the upper layer 105 and thelower layer 110 combine to define a pocket 145 therebetween. In thepresent non-limiting embodiment, the upper layer 105 defines three upperedges that are attached to three lower edges defined by the lower layer110. The pocket 145 preferably has dimensions just large enough toaccommodate standard round and elongated toilet seats. In one or moreembodiments, the pocket 145 may have a width of about 15 inches, alength of about 18 inches, and a height of about one inch, althoughthese particular values are merely illustrative and other values couldbe used and still come within the scope of the invention. At the openingof the pocket 145, the first loop 120 and the second loop 125 each spanbetween the upper layer 105 and the lower layer 110, thereby forming twohandles.

The collar 130 is positioned such that it runs along an edge of theupper opening 135 in the upper layer 105. In one or more embodiments,the collar 130 may be somewhat rigid in relation to the remainder of thetoilet seat cover 100 and, therefore, may protrude from the upper layer105 in what is a downward direction in the figures. Nevertheless, it isemphasized that such a collar 130 is entirely optional and that toiletseat covers with and without such a collar 130 are envisioned and wouldfall within the scope of the invention.

The flap 115 may be attached to the toilet seat cover 100 in variousways. FIG. 4, for example, shows a sectional view of a portion of thetoilet seat cover 100 cut along the plane indicated in FIG. 3 with theflap 115 attached in a first illustrative manner, while FIG. 5 shows asectional view of a portion of the toilet seat cover 100 with the flap115 attached in a second illustrative manner. In the illustrativeembodiment shown in FIG. 4, the flap 115 is attached to the upper layer105 above a seam between the upper layer 105 and the lower layer 110. Incontrast, in the particular embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the flap 115 isattached to the lower layer 110 so as to form one continuous sheettherewith, with the upper layer 105 attached at the interface of thelower layer 110 and the flap 115. In either case, the flap 115 may bemade of a flexible material. The flap 115 may therefore be made toextend away from the remainder of the toilet seat cover 100, as shown inFIGS. 2-5 or, alternatively, to fold back onto the remainder of thetoilet seat cover 100 so as to cover the upper or lower openings 135,140. The latter configuration is particularly compact and well suitedfor packaging as well as transport by a user prior to use.

In terms of materials and manufacturing, the toilet seat cover 100 willpreferably comprise a highly flexible material such as a thin plastic orthin paper. The toilet seat cover 100 may, for example, be formed fromrelatively thin polyethylene, which is typically inexpensive to obtainand to manufacture into end products. If desired, the collar 130 may bemade slightly thicker than the remainder of the toilet seat cover 100 toprovide additional rigidity in that component. Polyethylene is regularlyformed into plastic shopping bags, and, as a result, its formation intothe toilet seat cover 100 will be well within the skill of one havingordinary skill in the relevant manufacturing arts. In one or moreembodiments, the toilet seat cover 100 may be formed by, for example,conventional blown film extrusion, plastic welding techniques (e.g.,heat sealing), or a combination thereof. Reference is made to B. H.Gregory, Polyethylene Film Extrusion: A Process Manual, TraffordPublishing, 2009, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.

Because the toilet seat cover 100 is envisioned as being single-use anddisposable, it is preferred that the toilet seat cover 100 be formed ofa material certified or capable of being certified by theOxo-biodegradable Plastics Association (London, UK) as beingoxo-biodegradable, and/or a material certified or capable of beingcertified by the Biodegradable Products Institute (New York, N.Y., USA)as being biodegradable in a managed composting facility. Candidatesinclude, as only a few examples, vegetable-based bioplastics, degradablepolyethylene, and polyactic acid (PLA). Here again, these materials arecommercially available and their fabrication into consumer products iswidely practiced.

Advantageously, the use of highly flexible and light materials such asthin plastic and paper allow the toilet seat cover 100 to be folded intoa very small form factor that aids in storage and transport. Prior touse, moreover, the flap 115 can be made to fold back onto the remainderof the toilet seat cover 100 so as to reduce the size of the toilet seatcover 100. In one or more embodiments, a plurality of toilet seat coversmay be packaged into a small bag or dispenser for carrying on theperson.

Once so formed, the toilet seat cover 100 may be readily and effectivelyutilized to protect a user from direct contact with a toilet. Thoserisks associated with this type of contact (see Background) are therebymitigated. FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of the toilet seat cover 100while partially installed on the toilet 300, while FIG. 7 shows thetoilet seat cover 100 after being fully installed. The toilet 300comprises a toilet bowl 305, a toilet seat 310, a toilet lid 315, and atoilet tank 320. The toilet seat 310, moreover, defines a toilet seatopening 325, a lower surface 330 (facing the toilet bowl 305), and anupper surface 335 (facing away from the toilet bowl 305). In placing thetoilet seat cover 100 on the toilet 300, a user may initially utilizethe loops 120, 125 as handles to direct the lower layer 110 under thetoilet seat 310 and the upper layer 105 above the toilet seat 310 sothat the toilet seat 310 is partially received into the pocket 145defined between the two layers 135, 140 (FIG. 6). Subsequently, theloops 120, 125 may be further used to slide the toilet seat 310 evenfurther rearward (i.e., toward the toilet tank 320) until the toiletseat 310 is fully received into the pocket 145 (FIG. 7). In both steps,the loops 120, 125 allow the user to conduct the installation withlittle or no direct contact with the toilet 300 itself.

Once in place, the upper layer 105 of the toilet seat cover 100 overliesthe upper surface 335 of the toilet seat 310 while the lower layer 110underlies the lower surface 330 of the toilet seat 310. At the sametime, the upper opening 135 and the lower opening 140 in the toilet seatcover 100 are aligned with the toilet seat opening 325. With the upperopening 135, the lower opening 140, and the toilet seat opening 325aligned in this manner, the protruding collar 130 falls along the insideedge of the toilet seat opening 325. Such a condition is made moreapparent in FIG. 8, which shows a partially broken perspective view ofthe fully installed toilet seat cover 100 and the toilet seat 310 cutalong the plane indicated in FIG. 7. So placed, the toilet seat 310 isalmost fully enveloped by the toilet seat cover 100.

At the same time, with the toilet seat cover 100 installed, the flap 115may be placed so that it drapes in front of the toilet bowl 305, forminga barrier between the toilet bowl 305 and the user's legs. Thus, inusing the toilet seat cover 100, and, more generally, apparatus inaccordance with aspects of the invention, the user is protected bothfrom the toilet seat 310 and the toilet bowl 305.

Aspects of the invention thereby provide a very effective and easy touse barrier for use when utilizing public restrooms. Direct contactbetween the user and the toilet 300 is minimized during installation,and almost complete isolation between the user and the toilet 300 isultimately achieved with the toilet seat cover 100 in place. At the sametime, the toilet seat cover 100 is light and may be folded into acompact form factor for storage and transport. Once used, the toiletseat cover 100 may simply be discarded.

It should again be emphasized that the above-described embodiments ofthe invention are intended to be illustrative only. Other embodimentscan use different types and arrangements of elements for implementingthe described functionality. These numerous alternative embodimentswithin the scope of the appended claims will be apparent to one skilledin the art.

Moreover, all the features disclosed herein may be replaced byalternative features serving the same, equivalent, or similar purposes,unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly statedotherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a genericseries of equivalent or similar features.

What is claimed is:
 1. A toilet seat cover for use with a toilet havinga toilet seat, the toilet seat defining an upper surface, a lowersurface, and a toilet seat opening, and the toilet seat covercomprising: an upper layer, the upper layer defining an upper openingtherein; a lower layer, the lower layer defining a lower opening thereinand coupled to the upper layer such that the upper layer and the lowerlayer define a pocket therebetween; and a loop, the loop spanningbetween the upper layer and the lower layer; wherein the pocket isadapted to receive the toilet seat such that the upper layer overlies atleast a portion of the upper surface and the lower layer underlies atleast a portion of the lower surface while the upper opening and thelower opening align with the toilet seat opening.
 2. The toilet seatcover of claim 1, wherein the toilet seat cover comprises a plastic. 3.The toilet seat cover of claim 1, wherein the toilet seat covercomprises polyethylene.
 4. The toilet seat cover of claim 1, wherein thetoilet seat cover comprises a material certified or capable of beingcertified by the Oxo-biodegradable Plastics Association as beingoxo-biodegradable.
 5. The toilet seat cover of claim 1, wherein thetoilet seat cover comprises a material certified or capable of beingcertified by the Biodegradable Products Institute as being biodegradablein a managed composting facility.
 6. The toilet seat cover of claim 1,wherein: the upper layer comprises three upper edges; the lower layercomprises three lower edges; and each of the three upper edges isattached to a respective one of the three lower edges to define thepocket.
 7. The toilet seat cover of claim 1, further comprising a secondloop, the second loop spanning between the upper layer and the lowerlayer.
 8. The toilet seat cover of claim 1, further comprising a flap,the flap attached to at least one of the upper layer and the lowerlayer.
 9. The toilet seat cover of claim 8, wherein the flap ispositionable such that it covers at least a portion of the upperopening.
 10. The toilet seat cover of claim 8, wherein: the toiletfurther defines a toilet bowl, the toilet bowl underlying at least aportion of the toilet seat; and the flap is positionable such that itdrapes in front of an external portion of the toilet bowl when thepocket receives the toilet seat such that the upper layer overlies atleast a portion of the upper surface and the lower layer underlies atleast a portion of the lower surface while the upper opening and thelower opening align with the toilet seat opening.
 11. The toilet seatcover of claim 1, further comprising a collar, the collar running alongan edge of the upper opening and positionable such that it covers aninside edge of the toilet seat opening when the pocket receives thetoilet seat such that the upper layer overlies at least a portion of theupper surface and the lower layer underlies at least a portion of thelower surface while the upper opening and the lower opening align withthe toilet seat opening.
 12. An apparatus comprising: a toilet, thetoilet comprising: a toilet bowl; and a toilet seat, the toilet seatpositioned atop the toilet bowl and defining an upper surface, a lowersurface, and a toilet seat opening; a toilet seat cover, the toilet seatcover comprising: an upper layer, the upper layer defining an upperopening therein; a lower layer, the lower layer defining a lower openingtherein and coupled to the upper layer such that the upper layer and thelower layer define a pocket therebetween; and a loop, the loop spanningbetween the upper layer and the lower layer; wherein the pocket receivesthe toilet seat such that the upper layer overlies at least a portion ofthe upper surface and the lower layer underlies at least a portion ofthe lower surface while the upper opening and the lower opening alignwith the toilet seat opening.
 13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein thetoilet seat cover comprises a plastic.
 14. The apparatus of claim 13,wherein the toilet seat cover comprises polyethylene.
 15. The apparatusof claim 12, wherein: the upper layer defines three upper edges; thelower layer defines three lower edges; and each of the three upper edgesis attached to a respective one of the three lower edges to define thepocket.
 16. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising a second loop,the second loop spanning between the upper layer and the lower layer.17. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising a flap, the flapattached to at least one of the upper layer and the lower layer.
 18. Theapparatus of claim 17, wherein the flap is positionable such that itcovers at least a portion of the upper opening.
 19. The apparatus ofclaim 17, wherein the flap covers an external portion of the toiletbowl.
 20. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising a collar, thecollar running along an edge of the upper opening and covering an insideedge of the toilet seat opening.